Young Street Eatery Specializes In Old-School Quality

December 7, 2015

Story By: Andy Beth Miller | Photos by: LAWRENCE TABUDLO

If you love the thrill of the grill — the tabletop grill, that is — for cooking savory and succulent meat yakiniku-style to your heart’s content, look no further than Japanese BBQ Yoshi. And if the sound of that particular meat being marbled, melt-in-your-mouth beef is music to your ears, you’re in for a treat at this top-notch dining establishment.

U.S. KOBE KALBI ($25)

CUCUMBER TOFU APPETIZER ($6.50)

Conveniently located right in the heart of Honolulu, the Japanese yakiniku eatery provides the perfect spot for enjoying a high-class ambiance infused with only the choicest cuts of quality meat. By way of a midday lunch meeting or an after-work repast, come see for yourself the gratifying gourmet options that await you at Japanese BBQ Yoshi.

Start your meal off on a light, refreshing note with the eatery’s new menu addition, Cucumber Tofu Appetizer ($6.50), featuring mini-spears of Japanese cucumber and soft tofu on a bed of fresh greens. A unique, grated daikon ponzu sauce drizzled atop adds the perfect seasoning.

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The restaurant’s U.S. Kobe Kalbi ($25) is an appetite-appeasing, 4-ounce serving of beef, presented with your choice of salt and pepper or sweet soy sauce drizzle. The beautifully marked meat is procured directly from Idaho’s Snake River Farms, “the leading U.S.

Kobe beef producers in the entire U.S.,” according to supervisor Scott Motoda.

“It’s really good beef, and you know that because of the quality,” he says. “You can actually see it in the marbleization and trace for yourself the lines and marbling of the fat — that is a very good sign.”

RIBEYE YAKISUKI ($40)

YUZU JELLY ($2.75)

Next up is an entree that is as aromatically enticing as it is pleasing to the palate. In fact, you’ll be wondering just what that amazing “scent-sation” wafting toward your table is before your order of Ribeye Yakisuki ($40) even rounds the corner from the kitchen. The 3.5-ounce thin-cut A4-A5 Grade serving of Japan Wagyu beef is delicately decorated with sweet soy sauce and paired with a mountain yam and egg yolk dipping sauce.

“The mountain yam especially adds a whole different dimension to the entire experience of the meal,” adds Motoda.

Ready for dessert? Japanese BBQ Yoshi has just what you are looking for: Yuzu Jelly ($2.75), a new, in-house creation by kitchen manager Ryan Lai, who has an extensive background in the art of pastry making. The refreshing gelatin concoction is served with a rotating scoop of just-sweet-enough sorbet and a fresh, sliced garnish (based on seasonal, fresh fruits for each).

With four such options just begging to be devoured, there’s just no excuse not to head over to Japanese BBQ Yoshi, because, as the old adage says, beef is what’s for dinner — and lunch, too.